AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you remember how I told you about the festival where the Holly Ridge kids basically ran me out of town?”
Blaire turned her whole body to face me this time.
“Yes, of course. Did it upset you that I vaguely referenced it in my welcome? I don’t think anyone would ever have a chance of tying it back to you...”
“No, no, that’s not where I’m headed with this. I don’t think I ever told you about this girl, around my age at the time, that I noticed at the festival. She looked so happy to be there and was there with her mom and dad, and just looked so full of Christmas spirit and family love. I really wanted Christmas to be like that for me.”
Blaire continued to look at me with empathy in her eyes, along with questions, wondering where I was heading with this. I turned my body, taking a step closer to Blaire at the same time, so our bodies were only separated by inches.
“This girl, in a red coat and shiny black boots, is something I thought about for years when I thought about Christmas and family. I always wondered what she grew up to be like, if she still loved Christmas, and still had that strong family connection.”
Understanding dawned in Blaire’s eyes now. After all, she had put together the history display and pulled together all the pictures, and it was her red coat and boots I was referencing.
“Turns out, she does still have all those things, but she also has so much more. She’s funny and strong-willed, beautiful, and so organized. Her color coding makes my eyes cross, but she really just wants to share her compassion and love, which does happen to include an intense love of Christmas, with everyone.”
I don’t know whether it was the things my mom said to me a few nights before about second chances and making the family you choose, but I suddenly found, in the most cliché spot possible, in front of a blazing Christmas tree, that I wanted to choose Blaire tonight. I wanted to choose her for me. And I hoped she wanted to choose me too.
Chapter 24
Blaire
The night was an absolute blur. I checked in with so many visitors and townspeople, vendors and volunteers alike that I hadn’t had a chance to stop and soak it all in. That’s what I was doing when Cole found me—standing in front of the Christmas tree. It was here, my dream of planning my hometown festival was a reality, and the first night had gone so, so well.
A dream I didn’t even know I had been harboring was playing out before me right now.
Cole was looking at me like he had been searching for something his whole life and had finally found it. Listening to him talk about how he had seen me and my parents all those years ago at the festival, it broke down the last line of defense around my heart. I realized he hadn’t really needed to be around the past week or so, and definitely hadn’t needed to be so helpful tonight, but he had done it anyway. And it seemed he had done it for me. That’s something no man had ever done for me before, done something just because he knew it was important to me. Cole didn’t want to take the credit or step onto the stage for any recognition in his role for the festival. He just wanted to support me.
With swells of romantic Christmas music playing inside my head, I closed the distance between us, wrapping my hand around the back of his neck, and brought those plump, soft lips down where I could reach them. Cole let out a groan that I could only interpret as horny relief that zapped straight through my core and met my enthusiasm with passion of his own, reaching out to wrap one arm tightly around my waist and bury the other so deeply in my hair, I could feel his neatly trimmed nails digging into my scalp. At that point, he took control of the kiss, angling my head so it was just where he wanted it and demanding access to my mouth with his tongue. I let out a noise of my own that I didn’t recognize and quickly realized we were headed to a place that could become indecent for public very quickly.
Slowly, I pulled back from the kiss, slowing his fervor with soft and gentle kisses. Our mouths parted, but I absolutely was not at all interested in separating our bodies from where they were touching. Because apparently, I was now living in a Hallmark film and it had started lightly snowing while we were lip locked, and I was just dumbfounded looking up at Cole’s handsome face while the Christmas movie moment of my dreams occurred. Except, those movies always ended on a kiss, and I wasn’t willing to have that be where our night ended.
Cole was looking back at me like he couldn’t quite believe where he was right now, but this time, I wasn’t worried about either or us bolting or running away.
“So, do you want to come back to my place? Well, the place I’m staying this week, which is above Jitters and definitely not in my childhood room in my parent’s house. It smells like sugar.”
Okay, even in the Hallmark movie of my life, this man still made me word-vomit.
Cole smiled down indulgently at me; a snowflake somehow landed on his eyelashes behind his glasses.
“I would love to come to your parent-free, bakery-scented place.”
I entwined our gloved fingers and led the way across the square to Jitters, walking to the side alley that led to the apartment above the café. I led the way up the stairs, very aware that Cole was climbing closely behind me, and soon we would be alone again, but this time with very different intentions than the last time we were alone behind a locked door with a bed in the room.
I unlocked the door leading to the studio apartment. I had left a lamp by the bedside turned on, so the space was dimly lit, but cozy and inviting. It turns out that New England winters made for some very onerous outerwear to unburden yourself with before you could get comfortable with someone. A bit of a libido douser, if you will. I toed off my boots, unwound my scarf, and started to unzip my jacket, which led Cole to follow my lead. He had just pulled the beanie off his head, showing his hair to be a level midnight on the “just fucked” scale, and I hadn’t even gotten my fingers in it yet.
I realized I was staring at him and felt the need to fill the quiet around us.
“Um, would you like something to drink? I have...well, water. And coffee.”
Cole gave me a look that let me know he thought my question was ridiculous and unnecessary.
“I have no interest in putting my mouth on anything right now that isn’t somehow attached to your body. Lips, breasts, skin, pussy. I want it all.”
Well, alrighty then. Libido dialed back up to 100. That sort of descriptive talk created a direct impact on my panties, finding myself wet and aching for the mouth Cole had offered.
This girl isn’t going to say no to that sort of offer made by the guy who’s starred in her increasingly more specific fantasies when he was standing right in front of her, so I moved to push my arm out of my blazer sleeve.
“No, wait. I didn’t get to undress you last time. And I have been dreaming about taking one of your blazers off you for months. Please, let me?”
